HORNITOS
Mariposa Co., CA
(CHL #333)
elevation
850’
Hornitos is
located on CR-J16, 11 miles west of
Originally, the nameless community was established
by Mexican Miners in 1848. It was
quickly populated by
“less desirable elements”
evicted from the booming mining town of Quartzburg about two miles away. These evictees changed the character of the
mining camp and Hornitos quickly became known as a rough community. Later it settled down and grew respectable as
Quartzburg faded and the folks moved to nearby
Hornitos. It was the center for both
placer and hard rock mining.
The name derives from the above ground
tombs/graves of some of the Mexican miners, and the town was named after the
resemblance of those graves to small ovens (hornitos). They were built that way due to the hard
ground and the difficulty in digging deeper graves.
By the mid-late 1850s Hornitos was a small city
with some 6000 people. It was well known
for its fiestas, fandangos, gambling and violence.
Some of the early businesses included a blacksmith
shop, brewery (1860), butcher, several dance halls, adobe-walled jail (1853),
six lodges, general stores, post office (est. June 18, 1856) and a Wells Fargo
& Company Express Office (1853). Off
to the east side of town a thriving Chinese section grew to house some 2000
folks. Many of the businesses were
interconnected with underground tunnels, and for entertainment there were
always chicken races, bull & bear fights and cock-fights. It is claimed that some $40,000 in gold was
shipped out on a daily basis. Life was
NOT boring! It is claimed that the infamous bandit Joaquin MURIETTA is said to have frequented the dance halls
and saloons here, and is said to have had a secret escape tunnel from his
favorite hangouts. However much of what was written about this outlaw has
almost reached legendary proportions and it is difficult to separate fact from
fancy. (Kind of like the Earp clan and
James Brothers.)
In 1858 the first quartz mill was installed. It was a machine-powered arrastra. By 1860 it had been replaced by a 20-stamp
mill. In
1900 there were four operating stamp mills in the community.
By 1870 the population is said to have reached
15,000, and the town incorporated as
Some of the many businesses that existed here
include: (This list features ones not
listed under the standing and ruined building list below.)
Butchers:
George
REEB’s Butcher shop.
Dance/Fandango
Halls:
Rosie MARTINEZ built Hornitos’ only
two-story dance hall in 1851.
General
Stores:
CASSARETTO Store built in 1851
CAVAGNARO Store. Was a single story wooden structure that had
collapsed sometime prior to our
visit on April
10, 2002. PHOTO!
Hotels:
Hornitos
Hotel, built in 1860, this was a two-story hotel.
Lodges:
Chinese Fraternal
lodge
Hornitos Stags
International
Order of Odd Fellow (IOOF) built in 1860
Masonic hall
built in 1860 (see below)
Mexican Fraternal
hall built in 1850
Native Sons of
the Golden West (see below)
Saloons:
Hornitos
Saloon, R.W. BARCROFT proprietor.
Pacific
Saloon.
Other
Notable Buildings:
CAMPODONICA building.
DENNIS house was one of the first frame buildings
in the county, and was still standing in 1939.
OLCESE building.
But good things don’t always last forever, and
mining slowed and the people began to move on.
By the mid 1880s Hornitos was much quieter, and it didn’t take a lot to
get the folks excited. The following
information came from an unidentified 1884 newspaper clipping. Contributed to the
“The monotony of our existence was rudely disturbed last Sunday
evening by the cry of "fire." Towards nine o'clock, while everyone
was calmly enjoying the cool evening, after a day when the thermometer was among
the hundreds, when people were sitting quietly before their doors, chatting on
various topics, discussing the mysterious origin of the numerous fires and the
burning done on the GRIFFITHS Ranch,
some one startled us with the announcement that ‘George REEB’S
house burning.’ In a
instant the whole town was in commotion. Men were running with hoses, tubs and
buckets; some pumping, others shouting, children crying and women, scared by
the reminiscences of early day fires, when the whole of our town was swept
clean out in a few hours, were packing their household goods, making ready to
move in case of need. For a moment the wind blew south and the whole northern
part of town was enveloped in a thick cloud of dense, black smoke that
compelled everyone to close windows and doors. Then it veered again. A pile of
fifty tons of baled hay was ablaze and one single glance sufficed to reveal the
fact that it was past redemption, and that our efforts must be concentrated in
keeping the fire from spreading. A difficult task indeed, with old tumble down
buildings, built in the prosperous days of Hornitos, abutting right smack
against the fire, roof made as dry as tinder by the summer heat and ready to
blaze up at the least spark!
“As I
write, three days after the fire, it is still smoldering with prospects of
keeping it up a few days unless some charitable soul turns on a stream of
water, and I would suggest to our butcher, whose property it is, to kill a few
of his hogs and smoke a few hams. In hard times let
us be saving and make the best we
can of a calamity.
“Yesterday,
we had another narrow escape. By some means, a mosquito bar (netting)
caught fire, and of course, the women were nearby,
dropped it and yelled. But a few kicks and stamps and drops of water put that
fire out. Otherwise our town is dull.
Not even a dogfight or foot race. The infernal mluing
(sic) of a band of tom cats is the
only thing that disturbs the silence of the night. The solitary "
drunk" I've seen for month of Sundays sang himself to sleep in jail, and
the place has resumed its wonted calm and folks go indoors during the heat of
the day, leaving the street in full possession of a few emaciated pigs, who
solemnly perambulate the length and breath of Hornitos.
“The BARCROFT mine is turning out very well and the outlook for it is very
promising. As yet, no clean up has been made, and therefore no decisive opinion
can be formed, but it is the general impression of all experienced miners that
it will be fully equal to anything yet found around this part of the county.”
By 1896 the calm deepened, and two saloons
remained open to assuage the thirst of the residents. Hornitos has
continued to fade until the 1980s, but then it was more of a rural refuge for
disenfranchised urban dwellers looking for a little quiet. Hornitos disincorporated
in 1953.
Today standing and ruined buildings remain, making
Hornitos one of the most picturesque of the old mining towns. Some of the buildings include:
St.
Catherine’s Catholic Church:
This adobe structure built in 1862 contains many above-ground graves
that date to the early days of the community.
PHOTO!
Dance
Hall/Saloon: In 1949 the Post Office
was housed in the former Dance Hall, which is built of locally quarried schist
rock-walls. When it was a saloon and
dance hall, it is claimed that this building was once the favored hang-out for
Joaquin Murietta.
Domenico (Domingo) GHIRARDELLI store: Built in 1855, this old store also has schist
and adobe walls. It was his first store,
and launched him on his path to becoming a major chocolate manufacturer in
Jail: This stout stone building with the heavy iron
door and small high, barred window still stands. PHOTO!
Masonic
Hall: Built in (Nadeau says 1856)
1860, this single-story schist walled structure also has a brick front and
limestone “flagging”. It is also the
only single-story Masonic hall in the Gold Country. PHOTO!
Wells Fargo & Express Company building: In 1949, the old Wells Fargo building housed
a Native Sons of the Golden West hall.
Built in 1851, the building is built of schist rock-walls with a brick
front.
Some of the other photos include:
View
of north end of town, looking north: PHOTO!
Saloon
on north side of the Plaza: PHOTO!
Former
Post office (identification provided by Lois Larson, Jan 21, 2006): PHOTO!
POPULATION FIGURES
·
1860: 6000 (not verified)
·
1870: 15,000 (not verified)
·
1930 – 62
·
1970 - 73
·
1980 - 200
·
1990 - 260
·
2000 - 260
LOCATION:
·
NE¼
Sec 17, T5S, R16E, MDM
·
Latitude: 37.5021592 / 37° 30'
08" N
·
Longitude: -120.2382410
/ 120° 14' 18" W
Hornitos was
in the center of the HORNITOS MINING DISTRICT.
Some of the mines in that district include:
SOURCES: #1, 2, 6, 7, 11, 14, WPA
* * *
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Mariposa Co., CA Index Page
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information on individual locations:
AGUA
FRIA | BAGBY | BEAR
VALLEY | COULTERVILLE
| HORNITOS | MARIPOSA
| MOUNT
BULLION
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First Posted:
December 10, 2001
Last Updated: August 09, 2011
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